Funny Ha Ha

The great American indie movie is not dead, it seems. It has simply been sitting on a distributor's shelf since it finished filming back in 2002. Andrew Bujalski's debut feature is both a welcome throwback to the scene's 80s heyday and a sly riposte to those glossy studio impostors that replaced it. Lovingly shot on grainy 16mm, this charts the trials of Marnie (Kate Dollenmayer) - a Boston twentysomething fresh out of college and gradually rotting.

Determined to boost herself out of slackers' limbo, Marnie makes a self-improving list of things to do ("Fitness initiative!! Spend more time outdoors"). She nurses a crush on her jittery, passive-aggressive best mate (a fine performance from Christian Rudder). And at the end - just before the film snaps shut - comes a blink-and-you'll-miss-it epiphany that I was going to describe as the most perfect ending since the one in Before Sunset, were it not for the fact that this was actually made first. I liked this a lot: it's smart, subtle and excruciatingly honest. Despite its modest, meandering style, Funny Ha Ha knows exactly where it's going.